California at Nevada: Wolfpack's High-Octane Offense Will Outlast Golden Bears

College football takes center stage with two games this Friday night. The highlight of the schedule is the game between the California Golden Bears and the Nevada Wolfpack. The college football betting odds posted by Bet Mania have California as a three point favorite to win the game.

California Golden Bears: Cal is 2-0 on the season and in second place in the Pac-10 as they head into the game in Nevada. They have played a soft schedule up to this point and dominated each opponent. In the opener they throttled UC Davis 52 to 3, and last week the stomped Colorado by the score of 52 to 7. They get one more out of conference game against Nevada before starting Pac-10 play on the road against Arizona.

Cal’s best pass rusher on defense is linebacker Jarred Price who notched two sacks last week. Price will have his hands full trying to contain a very good Wolf Pack offense. The Bears will rush Price from the outside and utilize a variety of defensive personnel packages and formations to try and trip up the Wolf Pack offense. The coaches plan a steady rotation throughout the night on both sides of the ball to keep players fresh and let them catch their breath since they are playing in a high altitude stadium. This is just one of the edges that the home team have heading into this game.

Nevada Wolf Pack: Nevada, like California is 2-0 to start the season and they have done it by beating up on some easier teams on the schedule. They started the season by thumping Eastern Washington 49 to 24 and followed that up with a 51 to 6 rout of Colorado St. When the Golden bears come to town on Friday night this will be the first true test for the Wolfpack.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick leads the way on a very deadly Wolf Pack offense. He is deadly on the ground and through the air and will be tough to tame on defense. Kaepernick is protected by a huge offensive line known as the “The Union”.  The Union is a very tall and big offensive line that can match up with anyone in the country. When they are not pass blocking for Kaepernick, they will be making holes for 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior halfback Vai Taua. Taua is the big threat out of the backfield and is almost a cinch to get 1,000 yards every season. It will be interesting to see how this offense stacks up against the Bears defense.

Game Time Prediction: Both of these teams are gifted offensively. So far this year Nevada has looked unstoppable with Colin Kaepernick calling the plays and Vai Taua running the ball. California has looked equally impressive putting up points behind the strong arm of Kevin Riley and the running attack of Shane Vereen.

The home field advantage is critical in this game. California will attempt to adjust with the elevation with rotating out players, but this will work against the philosophy and in the end when the game matters most Nevada will be adjusted and California will be gasping for air. Jarred Price is a beast on defense but I like the size and the strength of “The Unit” in that match up. Vereen sat out a few practices because he was banged up in the last game. He will play but I am not sold that he is 100%. The Bears have stumbled laying points on the road as they are 12-27 against the spread (ATS) as road favorites. Nevada is 16-6 ATS after gaining 300 or more rushing yards last game and I look for a great performance by the home team. The Wolf Pack is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a winning road record and 26-12 ATS in their last 38 home games. Nevada has the extra motivation playing a nationally televised home game and I look for them to win this one outright and give Cal their first loss of the year. I am going to back the Wolf pack plus the three points in this Friday night clash.

Final: Nevada 38 Cal 31

Other College Football Previews:

Cincinnati at North Carolina State

Arkansas at Georgia

Iowa at Arizona

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews, and predictions. Feel Free to contact Matt at [e-mail]